DNV ‘back to normal’ in China [Views and News from Norway]

If this report is true, then there is some evidence that the Beijing Consensus is not loathe to holding grudges. After all, ‘face’ has been paramount to the Chinese as far back as I can remember. Re – Nobel Peace Prize for Liu Xiaobo – A markedly different stance from the pre-Beijing Olympics days. It is also quite interesting that the Det Norske Veritas (DNV) website’s about us page has got three images – Two look distinctly Chinese-like and one’s probably Norweigian. Whether it reflects any intention in terms of representation, is up for interpretation.

Large Norwegian risk management firm Det Norske Veritas (DNV) seems to have settled its own risk of doing business in China. After months of disruption following license revocations, DNV has won permission to resume operations once again.

Chinese authorities had suddenly revoked DNV licenses tied to its certification work, in a move that itself was believed tied to China’s official anger over the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to one of its leading dissidents, Liu Xiaobo. The Chinese never gave any reason for their action against DNV, which prevented hundreds of DNV employees from carrying out their work, but DNV officials believed they were made to suffer for the Nobel Committee’s decision that angered and embarrassed Chinese officials.

Now newspaper Aftenposten reports that the license suspension has been lifted following months of “dialogue” between DNV and Chinese officials. “We are back to normal operations in China,” information director Aage Enghaug of DNV told Aftenposten.

Many other Norwegian companies continue to face difficulty doing business in China. Seafood exporters face having their fresh fish rot while waiting for customs clearance, for example, while a business council in Bergen was also being forced this spring to conduct a conference on China without any Chinese guests present.

On the cultural side, the Shanghai Theatre Company has also bowed out of an agreement to perform at the annual festival known as Festspillene in Bergen in May. Again, no reason was offered.